Title 4 – KQ 4: In what ways pursuit of Knowledge requires “ disinterestedness “ in area of Arts and Mathematics?

KQ 4: In what ways pursuit of Knowledge requires “ disinterestedness “ in area of Arts and Mathematics?

Mathematician , G H Hardy in his book , ‘ A Mathematician’s Apology ‘ writes that “ A mathematician like a poet or a painter is a maker of patterns . Successful Mathematicians balance the disinterest and Interest to test and consider new ideas and possibilities. Both for problem solving and Inquiry, mathematicians require open-mindedness and objectivity . Going beyond ordinary thinking in their work enables them to look for options, to choose, to make judgements on their way to solutions. Mathematicians are adept at looking and finding the pieces or themes that have nothing to do with each other , and yet when brought together they connect and unite in ways that astonish us. For example Fermat connects the world of primes with the world of squares through his equation. It is sheer “ leap of faith” to see associations in two totally unrelated seemingly disparate groups and come up with a simple and elegant equation that is beautiful, simple , useful and full of pleasant surprise.

In another example”The Life and Survival of Mathematical Ideas”, the British mathematician Michael F. Barnsley discusses how a specific mathematical topic can be viewed as a “creative system”: The forms emerging from this system are fractals. “The mind of a mathematician”, he argues, “provides a locus for creative systems, a place where mathematical structures live and evolve.” He makes a parallel between biological forms, such as plants, and mathematical forms. An example of mathematical forms are the geometric building blocks of points, lines, and planes; their “DNA” consists of the equations that describe points, lines, and planes. The forms evolve and adapt as they are passed on through generations of mathematicians’ minds.